Lone wolf family man: Individualism, collectivism and masculinities in American Sniper(s) and Lone Survivor(s)

‘Lone wolf family man’ compares the memoir and film renditions of masculinities in two narratives from the recent United States wars: Lone Survivor (Afghanistan) and American Sniper (Iraq). The article examines how the four texts construct masculinities in relation to two core American values, collectivism and individualism, and reveals the tension between these values in war narratives. The article concludes that although the memoirs extol the courage and honour of collectivist military might, the blockbuster films contradict that value, telling Americans instead that collectivism is and should be subordinate to the heroics of the individual.